PRELIMINARY LIST OF THE MAMMALS OF NEW YORK 293 
Throughout this paper, except in the tables of synonymy, bibliographic 
references are made by what is now generally known as the “ Harvard” 
system. On pages 375-385 is given a complete list of the works referred 
to arranged alphabetically by authors. Under each author the separate 
papers are placed chronologically, each preceded by an abbreviation of 
the date on which it appeared. These abbreviations serve as an index. 
Thus for instance the reference “J. A. Allen ’94b” would refer to the 
second paper published by J. A. Allen in oe the full citation of which 
may be found when needed. 
RECENT SPECIES 
Didelphis virginiana Kerr Opossum 
1792 Didelphis virginiana Kerr, Animal kingdom 1: 193. 
1842 Didelphis virginiana De Kay, Zoology of New York, Mammalia 
p. 4- 
1896 Didelphis virginiana Fisher, The Observer. May 1896, 7 : 194 
1898 Didelphis virginiana Mearns, Am. mus. nat. hist. Bul. 9g Sep. 1898, 
10: 330. 
1898 Didelphis virginiana Mearns, U.S. Nat. mus. Proc. 21: 360. 
Type locality. Virginia. 
Faunal position. he opossum is strictly an inhabitant of the austral 
zones. 
Habitat. Woods, thickets and old fields. 
Distribution in New York. (ower Hudson valley, Long Island and 
the lake region. 
Principal records. De Kay, “Although it is abundant in New Jersey, I 
have never seen it in this state, but have heard that it has been noticed 
in the southern counties on the west side of the River Hudson, and it 
will probably be found in the western counties” (’42 p. 4). 
Fisher, ‘Strictly speaking this animal should not be included in the 
present list [of the mammals found at Sing Sing, Westchester co.]| 
because as far as known it has never been taken in Westchester county. 
Nevertheless it is tolerably common in Rockland and Orange counties 
two or three miles to the westward, and is only prevented from entering 
our domdin by that ideal but insuperable barrier, the Hudson river. 
This broad, deep, powerful stream so dreaded by the old Dutch sailors 
of New Amsterdam, seems likewise to be feared and avoided by the 
equally slow-going opossum”’ (’96 p. 194). 
Mearns: ‘In the [Hudson] highlands the opossum has always been 
fairly common since my boyhood, and hence long before its too ‘suc- 
